ABSTRACT
The purpose of building codes is to promote and protect the public welfare. The public welfare may be broadly construed to include considerations of the health and safety of individual citizens, as well as the economic well-being of the community as a whole. Building codes accomplish this purpose by setting minimum standards for the materials of construction that may be used for structures of different types and occupancies, the minimum permissible strength of these structures, and the amount of deformation that may be tolerated under design loading. Governments have the power to enforce these standards through the code adoption process, i.e., converting the code into a legal standard. If building code criteria were not specified in a uniform manner, design and construction practice would vary widely, and many structures would be unable to afford their occupants adequate protection against collapse.
